


On a High Note

by snarechan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Amicitia Week 2018, DO NOT COPY TO ANOTHER SITE OR APP, Do not repost, Gen, Humor, Karaoke, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 10:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan/pseuds/snarechan
Summary: Iris and Gladiolus take their karaoke very seriously.





	On a High Note

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Amicitia Week (2018), Day Seven: Free/Bonus Day. This was posted during the original run of the event, but I wanted to edit it proper before archiving it here on AO3.
> 
> Beta Read by Philophrosynae. My thanks for the assist!

It was a glorious day for sparring. At least, that’s what Gladiolus had suggested when he texted Ignis to bring Noctis over after school. Gladiolus wanted to practice at his father's residence rather than at the Citadel. Other people in the neighborhood must have agreed about the sunshiny day because it sounded as if someone were hosting a party of sorts. Ignis identified the heavy bass thumps of music nearby.

"You have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with your counselor. She would like to discuss the possibility of incorporating higher level courses into your curriculum or you attending some accelerated classes," Ignis said. He stared down at his phone during the explanation, capable of navigating the path to the Amicitia household without missing a step.

He continued to list Noctis' itinerary for the week. Ignis received nary a grunt at this point in the conversation. Suspicious, he said, "And please do not forget that at five on Friday you have a meeting with Kenny Crow to refine your dietary particulars, such as your utter lack of vegetable intake."

Scowling, Noctis finally deigned to give him a _look_. "I'm paying attention, you know."

"Merely checking," Ignis intoned. They reached the front entrance and Ignis gave the door a studious knock. He didn't hear anyone's approach so he rang the doorbell. When Jared didn't greet them, Ignis tilted his wrist and glanced at the time on his watch. They were a tad early for Noctis' visit, but they were expected…

"No admission, no instructor, no training?" Noctis asked hopefully.

Now it was Ignis' turn to give Noctis a pointed stare. His charge was unfazed by the expression, so Ignis tried the door himself and discovered it already unlocked. The thumping became louder; apparently, it originated from _inside_ the house, rather than close by.

Letting themselves in, they made their way to the kitchen in their search for any residents. Jared was inside with his back to them. He wore ear protection, oblivious to their presence, while he seemed to be preparing dinner or a snack. It'd quickly become apparent why that was. This much further into the house the music was almost deafening.

"What _is_ that infernal racket?" Ignis shouted. The volume made it difficult for him to be understood, but Noctis must have seen his lips moving.

"I think it's Nikki Minaj," he shouted back.

That wasn't what Ignis meant, but he didn't try for clarification again. They tracked the source of the noise to the den. Flashing lights and dancing avatars filled the jumbo-sized television in the room.

"Alright, Gladdy! Here comes the finale. You ready?" Iris asked. She was shimmying on the sofa. One of the cushions had slipped halfway to the floor. She was holding a toy microphone, as was her brother.

"Yeah, bring it!"

Musical notes appeared on the screen. Both siblings joined in and rapped the lyrics that scrolled along the bottom. Ignis and Noctis watched from the doorway.

Suddenly the instructions on the TV increased in speed. Stars burst and the avatars looked to be cheering the singers on. Iris was cheering, too. She hopped up and down in place as she said, "Here comes the hard part. It's all you!"

Gladiolus planted his foot on the couch and threw his head back. He hit the last note with such force that several items in the room shook. One of Ignis' eyeglass lenses cracked down the middle. Flinching in surprise, he stared cross-eyed at the fracture now blotting the vision of his right eye. Noctis stared at the damage in shared disbelief (or maybe awe).

" _N-n-new high score!_ " the video game announcer blared from the speakers. A leader board appeared, the handles _MooglePrincess_ and _Henruit_ moving to the top spot. More stars and streamers exploded everywhere, accompanied by some victory fanfare.

"We did it, we finally did it! In their _faces_ ," Iris shouted, laughing. Gladiolus' bellow joined hers. She leapt at him from her spot on the sofa; he easily took her weight with one arm. Catching sight of Noctis and Ignis standing witness, he stopped mid-spin.

Curious why her brother had ceased moving, Iris tilted her head back. At spotting the two of them, she squeaked and let Gladiolus go to hide behind him. Crossing his arms over his chest, Gladiolus asked, "How long have you been standing there? Did you _see_ anything?"

"Oh, I saw—" Ignis cleared his throat, cutting Noctis off so he could see the mortification written all over Iris' face, along with Gladiolus' unspoken promise to make the prince's training the _worst_ session of his life. "—nothing. I saw absolutely nothing."

"Uh-huh. That's what I thought," Gladiolus said.

Gladiolus almost relaxed his arms when Noctis added, "But I may have _heard…_ "

"Armor up!" Gladiolus snapped, and pointed to the double-doors leading outside to the backyard.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [writing blog on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) for more content or [come say hi to me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/snaurus)!


End file.
